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Tumbes–Chocó–Magdalena
Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena is a biodiversity hotspot, which includes the tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests of the Pacific coast of South America and the Galapagos Islands. The region extends from easternmost Panama to the lower Magdalena Valley of Colombia, and along the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador to the northwestern corner of Peru. Formerly called the Chocó-Darién-Western Ecuador Hotspot, it has been expanded to include several new areas, notably the Magdalena Valley in northern Colombia. It is bounded on the east by the Andes Mountains. The Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena Hotspot is 1,500 km long and encircles 274,597 km². Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena is near the Pacific Ocean. The factors that threaten Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena are farming encroachment, deforestation, illegal crops, and population growth. Whereas the Panamanian and Colombian portion of the hotspot are relatively intact, approximately 98% of native forest in coastal Ecuador has been cleared, re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecuadorian Dry Forests
The Ecuadorian dry forests (NT0214) is an ecoregion near the Pacific coast of the Ecuador. The habitat has been occupied by people for centuries and has been severely damaged by deforestation, overgrazing and hillside erosion due to unsustainable agriculture. Only 1% of the original forest remains. The patches of forest, mostly secondary growth, are fragmented. They are home to many endemic species at risk of extinction. Location The Ecuadorian dry forests have an area of . The ecoregion is mainly along the Pacific coast of central Ecuador to the north and west of Guayaquil, with a section to the east of Guayaquil. The western area is in the Cordillera de la Costa (Coastal Range) mountains. The western portion is bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests. It adjoins South American Pacific mangroves along sections of the coast. The eastern portion is also bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests, but to the west is bounded by Guayaquil flooded grasslands. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biodiversity Hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the concept was revised following thorough analysis by Myers and others into “Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions” and a paper published in the journal ''Nature'', both in 2000. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers' 2000 edition of the hotspot map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (more than 0.5% of the world's total) as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a high share of those species as endemics. Some of these hotspots support up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tumbes–Piura Dry Forests
The Tumbes–Piura dry forests (NT0232) is an arid tropical ecoregion along the Pacific coasts of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion contains many endemic species of flora and birds adapted to the short wet season followed by a long dry season. Threats include extraction of wood for fuel or furniture, and capture of wild birds for sale. Location The Tumbes–Piura dry forests ecoregion has an area of . The northern tip is in the southern coastal plain of Ecuador, while most of the ecoregion is in the northwestern coastal plain of Peru. It covers all or part of the regions of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque and Cajamarca in northern Peru. Further north the similar Ecuadorian dry forests extend along the coast of central Ecuador. The Andes rise to the east. The northern tip of the ecoregion adjoins the Guayaquil flooded grasslands. In the north it is bounded to the west by a stretch of South American Pacific mangroves and to the east by Northwestern Andean montane fore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chocó–Darién Moist Forests
The Chocó–Darién moist forests (NT0115) is an ecoregion in the west of Colombia and east of Panama. The region has extremely high rainfall, and the forests hold great biodiversity. The northern and southern parts of the ecoregion have been considerably modified for ranching and farming, and there are threats from logging for paper pulp, uncontrolled gold mining, coca growing and industrialisation, but the central part of the ecoregion is relatively intact. Geography Location The Chocó–Darién moist forests extend along most of the Pacific coast of Colombia and extend north into Panama along the Caribbean coast. They are bounded to the east by the Andes, which separate them from the Amazon and Orinoco ecoregions. They have an area of . In Colombia the ecoregion is in the Chocó, Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Nariño departments. In Panama it is in the Darién and Guna Yala provinces. The northern section merges into Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests to the west in the I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geography Of South America
The geography of South America contains many diverse regions and climates. Geographically, South America is generally considered a continent forming the southern portion of the landmass of the Americas, south and east of the Colombia–Panama border by most authorities, or south and east of the Panama Canal by some. South and North America are sometimes considered a single continent or supercontinent, while constituent regions are infrequently considered subcontinents. South America became attached to North America only recently (geologically speaking) with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama some 3 million years ago, which resulted in the Great American Interchange. The Andes, likewise a comparatively young and seismically restless mountain range, runs down the western edge of the continent; the land to the east of the northern Andes is largely tropical rainforest, the vast Amazon River basin. The continent also contains drier regions such as eastern Patagonia and the extreme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of Panama
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation (largely undefined at this point). Three caveats are appropriate for all bio-geographic mapping approaches. Firstly, no single bio-geographic framework is optimal for all taxa. Ecoregions reflect the best compromise for as many taxa as possible. Sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of Ecuador
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecology, ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural community (ecology), communities and species. The biodiversity of flora (plants), flora, fauna (animals), fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation (largely undefined at this point). Three caveats are appropriate for all bio-geographic mapping approaches. Firstly, no single bio-geographic framework is optimal for all taxa. Ecoregion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of Colombia
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation (largely undefined at this point). Three caveats are appropriate for all bio-geographic mapping approaches. Firstly, no single bio-geographic framework is optimal for all taxa. Ecoregions reflect the best compromise for as many taxa as possible. Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natural Regions Of South America
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to South America. South America is the southern continent of the two Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly (about 3/4) in the Southern Hemisphere. It lies between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The continent is culturally, ethnically and racially diverse, home to indigenous peoples and to descendants of settlers from Europe, Africa and Asia. Due to its history of colonialism most South Americans speak Spanish or Portuguese, and its societies and states are commonly modeled after Western traditions. Geography of South America Geography of South America Geography by political division Geography of countries * Geography of Argentina * Geography of Bolivia * Geography of Brazil * Geography of Chile * Geography of Colombia * Geography of Ecuador * Geography of Guyana * Geography of Panama * Geography of Paraguay * Geography of Peru * Geography of Suriname * Geography of T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Ecuador Moist Forests
The Western Ecuador Moist Forests (NT0178), also known as thPacific Forest of Ecuador is an ecoregion in the plains and western foothills of the Andes of southern Colombia and Ecuador. At one time this region contained dense forests with highly diverse flora and fauna, and many endemic species. Most of the original habitat has now been destroyed, and the ecoregion is one of the most threatened in the world. Geography Location The Western Ecuador moist forests ecoregion covers land to the west of the Andes in Ecuador and southern Colombia. In the northwest and the extreme southwest the ecoregion extends to the Pacific Ocean. The ecoregion is bounded on the north by the Patía River. It extends through the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí and Guayas, reaching the Gulf of Guayaquil in the south, and the foothills on the Andes in the east. It varies in width from . It has an area of . In the extreme north the ecoregion transitions into the Chocó–Darién moist forests ecoreg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piura Mangroves
The Piura mangroves ecoregion (WWF ID:NT1429) covers a very small (129 km2) mangrove site on the Piura River Delta, on the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Peru. This small mangrove site is at the northern tip of the Sechura Desert. The climate is normally semi-arid (under 100 mm/year of precipitation), but cn be much wetter in El Nino years. The area is a RAMSAR wetland of international importance "Manglares de San Pedro de Vice", and is an important stopover for migratory birds. Location and description The ecoregion covers the fan-shaped delta of the Piura River Delta, from the village of San Pedro in the north to the village of Mata Caballo in the south, a distance of about 20 km. The ecoregion reaches up-river to the local town of Sechura, and the mangroves are entirely surrounded inland by the Sechura Desert ecoregion. Much of the mangrove wooded areas are along the canals and lagoons behind the barrier beach. The terrain is low mudflats and coastal dunes around the mangro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manabí Mangroves
The Manabí mangroves (NT1418) is an ecoregion along the Pacific coast of Ecuador. The mangroves serve important functions in the marine and terrestrial ecology. They have been severely degraded and fragmented, particularly in the northern region. Construction of shrimp farms caused much damage in the past, but is now banned. Sedimentation caused by overgrazing in higher lands is an issue, as are human activities such as port and highway construction, urbanization, waste disposal and so on. Geography Location The mangroves are found along the coast of Ecuador and cover an area of . There are two sub-regions. The Cojimíes sub-region in Esmeraldas Province lies between the Muisne River to the north and the town of Pedernales to the south. It transitions into the Western Ecuador moist forests ecoregion to the east. It contains a section around Muisne that fringes the Ensenada de Mompiche, and further south a larger section of mangroves around the estuary of the Mache River on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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